Economic Impact of Cruise Ship Passengers Visiting Bar Harbor (Maine) in 2016

This study examines the economic impact of cruise ship passengers visiting Bar Harbor in 2016. The economic impact figures account for passenger expenditures on a variety of goods and services (e.g., meals and drinks, souvenirs, books and paper goods, shore excursions) and the multiplier effects associated with the economic activity of businesses (and their workers) where the visitors spend money. The passenger economic impact analysis is based on 2,231 mail surveys that were completed and returned by visitors associated with 31 ship visits over 24 days between May and October. Guests were surveyed from a mix of small (e.g., American Glory, with a capacity of 49 passengers) and large ships (e.g., Regal Princess, with a capacity of 3,560 passengers), as well as passengers across a variety of cruise lines (e.g., Celebrity, Crystal Cruises, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Oceania, Silversea Cruises). The survey respondents spent an average of $108—and $74 of this amount does not include expenditures on cruise-line sponsored tours. The largest expenditure items, other than cruise-line sponsored tours, are meals and drinks, clothing items, and general souvenirs. The cruise ship passengers had an estimated annual economic impact—including multiplier effects—of $20.2 million in local spending, 379 jobs (full- and part-time, and seasonal) and $5.4 million in labor income.